Maintenance free gas detectors are popular in part because they do not need to be turned off and on, they are permanently activated. There is a need for maintenance free gas detectors to last longer on a single battery, but without creating the requirement to have a user turn the unit off and on when needed.
There are multiple problems with using a manual method (like a button) of turning the detector off and on to extend battery life. Users may forget to activate the gas detector and become at risk because their gas detector will not warn them of a dangerous gas level. Additionally, a manual power control switch would give the user the ability to turn off the detector to prevent it from alarming if they know they will be around gas, placing themselves and their co-workers at risk.
Other methods of turning detectors off and on, such as using the existing docking stations would require decisions to be made at the docking station, which can also result in safety risks, and require operator training. Turning the detector off with a docking station also requires costly equipment and may not be an acceptable commercial solution for certain parts of the market, specifically the contractor workforce.
Additionally, there are many situations in which it is beneficial to be able to transfer instructions or data to a portable gas detector to alter its configuration, behavior or state. Generally, expensive and complex circuits, that must be powered, are used to implement such functions.
In yet another circumstance, portable gas detectors are required to be bump tested regularly in order to ensure proper operation. However, bump testing is not intuitive with today's gas detectors. Some manufacturers only support a proper bump test with an expensive docking station, where a series of button presses is required to invoke the bump test. This requires training and is inherently mistake prone.
A low cost alternative to this is to place detectors into a plastic bag and fill the bag with gas, but this doesn't provide the compliance records that safety auditors look for. Ideally, a bump test should be as simple as possible to execute, and it must provide the proper compliance records for auditing purposes. This is very difficult to implement on a gas detector with a single button, which is why the bump test operation is usually controlled and initiated by the docking station. The problem with an exclusively dock initiated bump station is the added cost, size, electrical requirements and complexity of using traditional docking stations for bump tests.
There is thus a continuing need to improve ease of and varieties of control of portable gas detectors.